Adapter switch for ceiling fans



D. M. ALLEN.

ADAPTER SWITCH FOR CEILING FANS APFLlCATION FILED NOV. 6, 1920. I 1 404 0 0 Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I 1 ffl v Sluuzmtm D. M. ALLEN.

ADAPTER SWITCH FOR CEILING FANS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 6, 1920.

1,404,080. Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DOUGLAS MYRICK ALLEN, OF LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO DALLAS GROSS, OF LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA.

ADAPTER SWITCH FOR CEILING FANS.

Application filed November 6, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DOUGLAS H. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lake Charles, in the parish of Calcasieu and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adapter Switches for Ceiling Fans; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to adapted switches for ceiling fans and the like, and has for an object to provide a replacement unit to supersede the usual turn button switch by which ceiling fans are at the present time controlled in order that the fan may be stopped started or driven at any required speed by mechanism that may be controlled conveniently from the floor without the necessity of mounting a ladder or using a long instrument to turn the button switch.

Another object of the invention resides in providing an improved switch actuating mechanism for carrying out the above described features, whicli is simple and inexpensive in construction, and extremely ef fective for the purpose stated.

' With the foregoing and other objects in View the invention will be more fully described hereinafter and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

F ig. l is an enlarged view in elevation of the interior parts of the switch operating mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional'view taken on the line 22,in Fig. '1; i

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the drum;

Fig. 5 is apartial elevation and sectional view of parts of the drum and ratchet showing the connection with the fan switch; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view showing'the fan and switch operating mechanism applied thereto.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates the fan switch box con taining the usual switch which is at the present time customarily actuated by a turn button projecting through a cover which Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

Serial No. 422,233.

encloses one end of the box 1. A threaded shaft- 2 projects from this end of the box and receives the turn button. The turn button and cover are removed and the apparatus constructed according to the present invention is connected to the shaft 2 to actuate the switch mechanism within the box 1 in precisely the same manner as it is operated by the turn button.

The apparatus consists of a ratchet wheel 3 screwed onto theshaft 2 and cooperating with a pawl l pivoted at 5 within a drum 6 carried on thc'upper end of a post 7. The post 7 is mounted in the central portion of a horizontal bar 8 extending between the lower ends of a pair of arms 9 and 10. These arms have their upper ends inturned as indicated at 11 and 12 and perforated to cooperate with fastening means by which the device as a unit is attached to the fan structure. A coil spring 13 is wound about the post 7 and has one end 14 engaged with the horizontal bar 8. The other end 15 of the spring projects in the same direction with the axis of the convolutions of the spring and is adapted to fit in one of a series of perforations 16 made in the lower face of thedrum 6 as shown in Fig. 4:. These perforations 16 are for the purpose of adjusting the tension of the spring.

-A flat sprin 1'? lies within the inner por tion of the drum 6 having one end secured as by a screw 18 to the-drum,while its other end engages the pawl 4 and yieldingly presses the same into the teeth of the ratchet 8. A cord 19 is wound about the grooved drum 6 andhas one end engaged in a selected aperture. ofa series of apertures 20 made in the'periphery of the drum.

A setv screw-'21 cooperates with the apertures 20 and is threaded through the side of the drum in order to bind the end of the rope or cord 19 in the aperture selected. The lower peripheral edge of the drum 6 is cut away as indicated at 22 in Fig. 4 and provides a pair of stop shoulders 23 and 24 for limiting the movement of the drum in opposite directions.

The cord 19 passes from the drum onto a grooved pulley 25 mounted in webs or flanges 26 and 27 projecting from the arm 9. These webs or flanges 26 and 27 project diagonally to the plane passing through the two arms 9 and 10 in order to present the pulley 25 at the proper angle to receive the cord 19 and to guide it downwardly through the space between the curved portions of the arm 9 to and through a guide 28 made at the base of the arm 9 where it joins with the horizontal bar 8. The cord or rope depends to a suitable distance'from which it may be readily grasped by the operator standing upon the floor beneath the fan.

In operation the cord 19 is pulled downwardly thus serving-to partially rotate the drum 6 in a clockwise direction as looked at in Fig. 2. This causes'the pawl 4 to slip loosely over the teeth of the ratchet 3 and at the same time to wind the spring 13 to a potential condition capable of restoring the drum 6 in the opposite direction to the initial'position when the cord 19'is released. During this counterclockwise movement of the drum 6 by virtue of the action of the spring 13' the pawl 4 will engage with an abruptrface of one of the ratchet teeth 3 and thus carry the ratchet with it so that. through the threaded shaft 2 to which the ratchet is'connected the switch mechanism within the box 1 will be actuated. The cord is drawn more or less in accordance with the speed of the fan desired.

When the drum is moved in one direction the stop shoulder 23 will engage the flange 27 and prevent a further movement of said drum, while the stop 24 performs a similar function of'striking the groovedpulley 2:) on the drum being moved in a predetermined distance in the op osite direction.

It is obvious t at various changes and modifications maybe made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims. v

WVhat is claimed is: r I 1. In combination with a switch having an actuating shaft, a ratchet wheel secured to turn with the actuating shaft, a pawl engagin the ratchet wheel, a drum mounted co-axialIy with the actuating shaft and carrying said pawl, resilient means also carried'bysaid drum for yieldingly urging the pawl against the teeth of the ratchetwheel, a post supporting said drum, a bar to whlch the lower end of said post is secured, arms extending upwardly from the opposite ends of said bar forming a unitary support for the device, webs extending from one of' said arms diagonally with respect to said drum, a pulley journaled in said webs and having its periphery arranged close to the lower side of the drum, said lower side of the drum being-"cut away at one ortion to permit the periphery of the pu ley to pr0]ect thereinto, the opposite ends of the cutaway portion of the 'drum'forming stops to strike against said pulley, an operating cable engaging over said pulley and about said drum and being aflixed to the latter,

"and resilient means extending about said said drum provided with a grooved periphery having a portion of said lower side out awayand having stops at the opposite ends of the cut away portion, a post supporting said drum, a horizontal bar supporting said post, supporting arms extending upwardly from opposite ends of said bar, a coil spring wound about said post and having its ends engaged respectively with said, bar and drum, said drum havin a series of perforations adapted to adjustaIfly-engage the upper end of said spring, webs extending diagonally from one of said arms beneath the drum, a pulley journaled in said webs and having its edge adaptedto enter the cut away portion of the drumand to engage the stops at the ends of the cut away portion, said drum having a number of openings in its periphery, and an operating cable wound about said pulley and drum and having one end selectively fitted'in one of theopenings, substantiall as described. 7

D UGLAS MYRIOK ALLEN. 

